Last weekend the Port Coquitlam Ridge Meadows Ringette Association under-14 B team participated in the West Coast Classic Tournament in Richmond, and finished in the final.
The event hosts 60 teams from all over B.C. and Alberta, from the under-10 to masters age groups.
The local team’s roster includes three under-age players, a new player still learning to skate, and players with disabilities. The only boy on the team is the goaltender, and he is under age.
This weekend the team began with a 5-3 loss to Kelowna. Its second game against Fraser Valley was a tough one against a big team, with a goaltender who fills the net and that was another 3-1 loss.
Then the local team started to hit its stride.
The next day opened with a 9-2 win, followed by a 3-0 victory over a Comox team that had a huge goaltender, who was still taller than the net on his knees.
“I don’t think anyone anticipated that we would have any luck getting by him,” said Kathy Sugden, a grandparent watching the tourney.
The two wins brought another game, a semi-final against undefeated Kelowna on Sunday at 8 a.m.
“I have been watching my granddaughter play this game for a number of years, and never have I seen a team come together and with grit and determination,” said Sugden, as they took on a team that had beaten them already in the tournament on Friday.
With four minutes to go, the local team took a lead, and managed to hold it until the final buzzer for a 3-2 win.
Next up was the Burnaby/New West team, which is known for being very fast. Burnby went up 2-0, but the PCRMRA team managed to tie the game. The Burnaby squad took the lead again, 3-2, and the local team again tied it up. But the local girls, having played six games in three days, showed fatigue down the stretch, and lost the game 5-3.
“The girls still walked away happy as they had achieved a new level in their game,” said Sugden. “Every player needs to be so proud of themselves with the way they banded together and proved successful.”